Jacksonian Democracy Essay

The Age Of Jackson And Jacksonian Democracy
A.The usual labels "The Age of Jackson" and "Jacksonian Democracy" analyze Andrew Jackson with
the age in which he lived and with the improvement of political democracy. This esteem may amplify
his importance, but it also endorses the important truth that Jackson extremely contributed to
building the American nation and its politics. Just as contemporaneous artists so regularly
characterized him astride his horse overlooking the battlefield, Jackson bestride some of the key
streams of nineteenth–century American political life. Jackson gotten some precise education at
district academies and schools, and following the Revolution, he left the Waxhaw community to
review law with two outstanding members of the North Carolina bar. In the 1780s, after discovering
few legal work in North Carolina, he emigrated to Tennessee, where he displayed the good sense to
classify himself with the Blount Overton faction, a group of outstanding men bound together by
politics, land conjecture, and, progressively, financial and banking interests. Military positions also
came Jackson 's way, and he constantly advanced from his appointment as judge defender for the
Davidson County militia in 1792 to be elected dominant general of the Tennessee militia a decade
later. Further, there were few clear–cut affair dividing the applicant. Instead, popular attention was
apprehended by a host of defamatory charges that pulled the contest down to the level of
mud–slinging. Rachel, for example, was implicated
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Jacksonian Democracy
The inauguration of Andrew Jackson marked a key transition in American politics. His election was
viewed as the coming to power of the "common man." The contentious Jacksonian Era was merely
the ascendancy of Jackson along with the Democratic Party beginning in 1830. Jacksonianism
politics appeared subjugate to Indians and increased racial division, while expanding white male
power. Critics emerged in opposition believing the power and influence extended to Jackson was
excessive. Although the Whig Party considered Jackson a tyrant, Jacksonian Democracy is a political
impulse dedicated to powerful egalitarian ideals of expanded suffrage and the nation's borders,
though racial at times, mostly benefiting the white male population.
A new generation...show more content...
The Whig party viewed the market revolution as the embodiment of civilized progress that would
provide more opportunities with carefully guided economic growth. To accomplish this growth,
Foner states, "So the Whigs thought that you would actually expand freedom by having the
government promote economic development, by having a tariff on industry, by promoting internal
improvements." (video) Democracts seemed to be alarmed by the separation of social classes,
having a "hands off" approach to the market revolution. They adopted the idea that ordinary citizens
should have the right to test the market without government interference. These differences
cultivated yet another two party system that would debate the American

Influence On Jacksonian Democracy
During his time as president, Andrew Jackson can be credited with founding a unique democracy
that was controversial and heavily supported. Jacksonian democracy's outlook was essentially
laissez–faire, and it was heavily influenced by the perceived power imbalance in the "Whig" party
system. After Jackson got elected in 1829, changes were made in electoral rules and campaign
styles, which made the country's political ethos more democratic than it previously had been. This
was used to counter the Whig Political Party system. The tension between "liberty" and "power"
came with this less intrusive form of government because the Democratic white farmers were now
politically pitted against the business elites of the Whig party who heavily influenced the direction
of the government. The Jacksonian Democratic party stood for simple, frugal, and unintrusive
government. вЂЁ During his presidency, Jackson demonstrated a commitment to increasing the
power of the people. Unfortunately, he limited this increase of power to white adult men, but he still
desired to strip power away from...show more content...
He claimed that all such measures aided the rich, the privileged, and the idle over the humble
ordinary working people. This was not a stance taken by many because the educated, privileged
members of society demonstrated a strong commitment to having an influence in the government.
As a practical measure, Jackson aimed to pass a tariff bill protecting a number of goods in the
middle of the country. He believed that the tariff was necessary to pay down the national debt and
generate the revenue needed to build a strong national defense. In other words, for Jackson the tariff
was primarily a revenue measure, and only secondarily a measure to protect American products.
However, the tariff created a tension within the Democratic Party and among the

Jacksonian Era Essay
The Jacksonian Era (1824–1848)
Although the "Age of Jackson" wasn't a time era, which brought forth a great political, social, or
economic freedom and equality to the U.S., it did in fact put our country through a metamorphosis
in our political lives of the nation. The start of a new presidency (Jackson's presidency) was
accompanied by huge numbers of Hickoryites (Jacksonian supporters) and official hopefuls. Many of
these hopefuls were granted their desire of holding office, which is one of the changes brought into
Washington by Andrew Jackson.
The major accomplishments of Jackson during his presidency pertain to his rural upbringing and
democratic beliefs. To name a couple of Jackson's memorable accomplishments and decisions not
...show more content...
The selection of officials of Jackson was in many cases the return of a financial grant during
campaigning. The consideration of the ability to govern, have intelligence and responsibility etc.
were ignored in the wake of compensation. Although opposites alike were granted power they were
not always for the continuance of democracy.
Jackson was the most democratic of any president at that time to come to power. In practically all
areas of political application there was the existence of liberal thinking. This was especially apparent
in his previously mentioned appointment of officials. Jackson considered the roles of officials
fairly simple and could and should be carried out by all people not just the members of the socially
and intellectually elite. The belief of complete equality is with out a doubt Jacksonian. Despite this
already democratic view, Jackson took it one step further and appointed the illiterate and plain
incompetent members of society to office.
Tariffs plagued the president also many times, but the most remembered were the "Tariff of
Abominations" in 1828, and the tariff of 1832. South Carolina passed an Ordinance of Nullification,
and upset Jackson tremendously. They stated that those tariffs were null and void to South Carolina,
and it would be unlawful to collect for duties. They also had the nerve to warn the

Andrew Jackson's Democracy Essay
Jackson's version of democracy was in fact a democracy. He was not a very wealthy man, he
owned a home and some land. Which was more than could be said about most Americans at the
time. About ten percent of the Americans living there at that time owned enough land to vote. There
was a law, stating that only white males with a good portion of land could vote in the presidential
election. Andrew Jackson thought this system was so unfair, he created a new way to govern the
citizens of the newly formed United States. He believed that the spoil system, or rotating office
holders often was important. He fired everyone currently working at the white house, and he replaced
them with people that were actively campaigning for the democratic...show more content...
Even though he could have been doing something wrong, this man had a few very brilliant ideas
to get and keep office for two sessions. He did all he could to get everyone in the middle/lower
classes to vote, especially for him. He made it legal for every white man, those who owned land
and not to vote. This was indirectly helping his vote count, people looked up to this man because
he helped bring fairness to all of the people, and he knew he would get a huge amount of votes.
The men who did not own land, or come from a wealthy/smart background, would vote for the
man who helped give them their rights. This meant almost every American had a say in what
happened in their country. He issued a bill to remove the Indians from mainly Georgia, but all of
the land we owned at the time. This gave everyone but mostly the southerners more land to work
with, and not have all those sometimes hostile Indians breathing down their backs. This defiantly
helped the poor and middle classes, because it was more land that they could settle down and live
their lives. It brought them comfort and lots more room. The Indians defiantly did not like this at
all, some thought that they weren't going to move, and become hostile. The US brought the military
and marched down there so their would be no misunderstanding. The Indians did not have the right
to vote, so they were pushed around, like the poor class before Jackson stepped in. Nobody really
liked the

Jacksonian Democracy For quite some time Americans have been led to believe that during the
1820s and 30s, Jacksonian Democrats were the guardians of the people, and worked to improve the
nation for the people. The truth remains, however, that during this period, President Jackson vetoed
a bill to recharter the Bank of the United States of America, infringed on the rights of Native
Americans, used "brute" force to bring Southerners under submission during the Tariff of 1832. He
enacted the Spoils System which did not guarantee the best leadership, and was morally corrupt.
Although the nation's economy and political democracy flourished during the reign of President
Jackson, constitutional...show more content...
In his Diary from 1828–1851, Phillip Hone recorded observations of what he noticed during two
riots between the Irish and Americans. He also speaks about quarrels between the Irish and Blacks,
and Blacks and Whites (E). It is important to understand what was happening between the Irish and
Americans, and between the Irish and the Blacks. The Irish fleeing british overlords traveled to
America in search of a new

To What Extent Was Jacksonian Democracy Democratic?
During the administration of Andrew Jackson, the United States was a nation of change both
politically and socially. American society was a society of opportunity. Americans felt that, given a
chance, they could make a better life for themselves. This was the era of the common people, the era
of democracy. Andrew Jackson appealed to theAmerican people because he stood for values many
regarded with favor. However democratic Jackson may seem, he was more tyrant–like than any of
his predecessors. His major offerings to the nation included majority rule and a popular presidency,
however offered no benefits to women, African Americans, nor Native Americans.Jacksonian
Democracy was...show more content...
Whereas some women in some states made some strides under Jackson's rule, Native Americans and
African Americans did not. Jacksonian Democracy had nothing to offer these two minorities.
Most Americans believed that the area between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains, "The
Great American Desert," would provide a permanent Native American reservation. Jackson often
spoke about protecting the Native Americans from fraud and of how humane the government's
removal policy was, but the policy as carried out was cruel.
In Georgia, the Cherokee Indians had developed a lifestyle that included schools, mills, and
turnpikes. In the 1820's, under pressure from the state to give up their lands, they wrote a
constitution, hired lawyers, and sued in the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshall upheld the
rights of the Cherokee against Georgia. However, Jackson refused to carry out the decision that
ordered Georgia to return Cherokee lands. He is quoted as to have said, "Marshall has made his
opinion, now let him enforce it."
When the Cherokee resisted the governments "generous" offer of lands farther west, Jackson sent
in the army. Forced from their homes to what is now Arkansas and Oklahoma, 4,000 Native
Americans died of starvation, disease, or exposure on the march that the Cherokee called the "Trail
of Tears." This is in no way democratic, but it seems very much like despotism. By

Topic: Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution,
political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity.
In light of the following documents and your knowledge of the 1820's and 1830's, to what extent do
you agree with the Jacksonians' view of themselves?
Andrew Jackson began a whole new era in American history. Amongst his greatest accomplishments
were evoking the "common man" to be interested in government and tailoring democracy to satisfy
the same "common man's" needs. Of course, Jackson could not go about making such radical
changes without supporters, but that never surfaced as a problem. Jacksonian Democrats, as they
came to be called, were great in...show more content...
The Jacksonians arose from these issues and others, as is evidenced in writings of the time, such as
"The Working Men's Declaration of Independence" by George Henry Evans. They began to call the
public's attention to an oppression by the upper class through many different issues of the time,
which was looked down upon by some, such as Daniel Webster in response to Jackson's bank veto.
This dealt with the Bank War which was the primary economic dealing of the time in which
President Jackson vetoed the recharter of the Bank of the United States. He did so because he found
the bank unconstitutional and thought that it was a near–monopoly that only benefited the rich.
This stirred public support and brought the class issue to the forefront for many people. Although
some looked upon Jackson's decision on the Bank as a bad one, the Jacksonians supported him
because they saw it as an attempt to support equality and eliminate a monopoly in the hands of the
elite rich. Another such instance that dealt with monopoly and equality of economic opportunity
was the Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge case in 1837. In it, Chief Justice Taney ruled that
new enterprises could not be confined by the implied privileges of old charters, in an effort to allow
for competition and free enterprise. Political democracy was one of the resurfacing interests during
the Jacksonian Era. Jacksonian Democrats saw it as their duty to protect the government run

Andrew Jackson Democracy Analysis
Language in the reviews of Leaves of Grass in the mid–nineteenth–century reflect a sense of
nostalgia. Society was nostalgic for the sense of community that was present during the Jeffersonian
era, which had taken place less than a generation before the current Andrew Jackson era. In The
Legacy of Andrew Jackson: Essays on Democracy, Indian Removal, and Slavery, Remini makes an
argument that America evolved from a Republic to a Democracy during the Jacksonian era. Remini
argues, "Founding Fathers had agreed that a just government was based on the consent of the
governed, but that did not necessarily translate into democratic rule" (Remini, 24). This version of a
conservative government protected unity among Americans because it created a purpose

The Pros And Cons Of The Jacksonian Democracy
"When I was President of the Senate he was a Senator, and he could never speak on account of the
rashness of his feelings. I have seen him attempt it repeatedly, and as often choke with rage. His
passions are no doubt cooler now...but he is a dangerous man." (Bailey 250). This quote comes from
Thomas Jefferson when talking about Andrew Jackson and how Jackson is as a person. Similar to
Jackson, the Jacksonian Democracy is a dangerous, independent, but a productive way of looking at
life. Dangerous because of the land policy he had regarding what to do with the Cherokee Indians
especially with the resulting Trail of Tears, which included the Indian Removal Act. Independent
because of his whole role in removing the Bank of the United States.

Jacksonian Democrats Essay
Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution,
political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. In light of the
following documents and your knowledge of the 1820's and the 1830's, to what extent do you agree
with the Jacksonian's view of themselves.
Unlike previous presidents, Andrew Jackson represented the common men. He and his followers did
not support the aristocrats, but instead favored the interests of farmers and urban workers. When
they gained power, the Jacksonian Democrats brought about great advances in creating a more
democratic and economically equal society.
One of the most important changes that Jackson brought was a much more democratic...show more
content...
Jacksonian Democrats believed that any American was capable of holding government office.
Jackson also said that if a man were to hold office for a lengthy period of time, he would be capable
of "tolerating conduct from which an unpracticed man would revolt".
Along with rotation, the Jacksonian Democrats reestablished the spoils system. Jackson fired any
previous office holder who was not a loyal Democrat. He would then appoint a Democrat to that
position. The spoils system and rotation were advances toward greater political democracy, because
they showed that one man is just as good as another is.
In addition to creating a more democratic country, Jackson also tried to establish equal economic
opportunity for the people of America. The best example of this is the vetoing of the charter of the
Bank of the United States. The bank was a huge monopoly. It was ran by aristocrats, most of which
were from England. Nicholas Biddle, who was the president of the bank, often used funds from the
bank to lend money to the members of Congress, thus wining their support.
In his veto message, Jackson wrote, "It is to be regretted that rich and powerful too often bend the
acts of government to their selfish purposes." This was true, since the bank was used to provide for
the interests of the rich and not the common men such as the small farmers and urban workers.
The attempt to create

Essay On Andrew Jackson Democracy
Democracy, as a form of government, is the idea of spreading political power to the people, while
still supporting the "common man" rule. The idea behind democracy is to unify the people, and
allow common citizens to have a say in their government. This idea erupted after the Jeffersonian
era came to a close in 1800, the Jeffersonian era changed how exclusive America should now be.
Andrew Jackson specifically played a major role in shifting America from a two party government,
known as the articles of confederation to a democracy. In 1824 the Democratic Party had split into
Jacksonian Democrats and Nationalist–Republicans, the split of parties allowed Andrew Jackson to
fully share ideas, through his own democratic party. When the newly elected...show more content...
After the political From 1816 to 1836 most states altered methods of selecting electors. This pushed
America to move closer to a democracy because people were now directly selecting their electors.
Based of the model "Methods of Electing Presidential Electors" between the year 1816–1824 the
majority of the Legislatures voted for the candidate being presented instead the minority became
the people. The Turning Point in the Presidential Electors was the election of 1824 when quickly
the people became the majority in states. Similar to the election chart, Jackson's speech showed
that the banks had been run by the upper class and wealthier. Jackson's speech explained that if
the bank were to be rechartered it wouldn't be compatible with justice, and go against the
constitution. According to "Andrew Jackson's Bank Veto Message to Congress," Jackson states
the stock is held by foreigners ands the rest by the richest class, Jackson later goes on to say that
our liberty and independence in the nature of our bank could bind our country together. Jackson is
making the point that our government shouldn't be solely focused on the richest class and be
controlled by foreigners. In Jackson's eye the bank is monopolistic, which is undemocratic. Jackson
wants to give the power to the people to move America closer to a

Jacksonian Democracy Dbq
Andrew Jackson began a whole new era in American history. Amongst his greatest accomplishments
were evoking the "common man" to be interested in government and tailoring democracy to satisfy
the same "common man's" needs. Of course, Jackson could not go about making such radical
changes without supporters, but that never surfaced as a problem. Jacksonian Democrats, as they
came to be called, were great in number during the 1820's and 1830's. They advocated all of the
issues that President Jackson did, and did so with great vigor. They thought of themselves very
highly because they recognized their responsibilities as American citizens. They realized that as
political leaders they had a true purpose– to protect...show more content...
Another such instance that dealt with monopoly and equality of economic opportunity was the
Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge case in 1837. In it, Chief Justice Taney ruled that new
enterprises could not be confined by the implied privileges of old charters, in an effort to allow for
competition and free enterprise. Political democracy was one of the resurfacing interests during the
Jacksonian Era. Jacksonian Democrats saw it as their duty to protect the government run by the
people, as the Constitution had intended it, the results of which could be seen everywhere.
Government had been thought of as something for the few aristocrats, not the general population.
This notion ended when Jackson's "spoils system" accompanied by his policy of rotation in office
allowed more people to become involved in government by rewarding political supporters with
offices. This heightened the interest of the general population in government in both good and bad
ways. Voter turnout doubled in the election of 1828, but some elections, for example those in the
accounts in The Diary of Philip Hone, resulted in riots over heated issues. During Jackson's time,
democracy took on a much fuller meaning of rule by the people when almost all property
requirements for voters were eliminated, allowing for even more involvement. As Harriet Martineau
evinces in her work, Society in America, the majority of America during the Jacksonian time

The Success Or Failure Of Jacksonian Democracy
When Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1828, he readily filled the hearts of many of his
militia and citizens with confidence. Coming from a poor family, Jackson made himself wealthy
through many rigorous efforts, and became the first president to be elected from the west. When
it comes to the democracy, the term "Jacksonian democracy" is no mistake. Andrew Jackson
played a very influential role in advancing the spread, efficiency, and success of democracy in our
country. In the election of 1828, Jackson won the election because of his appeal to the people. He
was considered a people's president. Even though he wasn't much of a deep thinker, he was a very
strong nationalist and felt that everyone should have a voice. He sought after...show more content...
Inspired by Thomas Jefferson, Jackson believed that republican government should be prudent,
uncomplicated and congenial. Both Jackson and Jefferson believed in a type of presidency
where the president would help the average American. As a great admirer of Jefferson, on of
Jackson's slogans was "Equal rights for all, special privileges for none." Jacksonian democracy
has its roots in the type of actions of reformation that Andrew Jackson took. More importantly,
though, his methods were tendentious towards a larger scope of democracy but in reality they
were in the general favor of white men. He believed that Indians should be moved west and that
blacks should remain slaves or be freed and sent away. So, although his efforts seem to favor a
type of egalitarian democracy, they were extremely biased and unbalanced towards people of his
own race. However, if you look at the roots that Jacksonian democracy began from, you can see the
type of heart that it has, which is a very overturning and outspoken one, opening the window for
future voices to speak their opinions as well. Practically speaking, Jacksonian democracy wasn't
implemented to favor a certain class or ethnicity. Its ideas stem from the naturally occurring
democratic views of the American revolution, as well as of course the Jeffersonian republicans, and
the anti–federalist movement in the

Jacksonian Democracy Essay
Jacksonian (Democracy, Society, etc.) is a term used to describe reform during the time of
Andrew Jackson's Presidency. Specifically Jacksonian Democracy refers to "the general extension
of democracy that characterized U.S. politics from 1824 to 1828." Jacksonian Democracy and its
support came primarily from the lower classes as a rebellion of sorts apposing the aristocracy. Even
though it stressed equality, it was pro–slavery and anti–Indian (not unlike Andrew Jackson). Also
there was change in both the political parties and the social reforms. Jackson was seen as a westerner
(even though he was from Tennessee) and a president of the common man. This we can see when he
married women...show more content...
The Democrats wanted to limit the role of government in the market and wanted to resolve the
tensions among the Northeast, West, and South. Also they wanted to do away with the national
bank (Jackson put a lot of money into city and state bands as a result) and sell land at low rates and
leave internal improvement basically to the states to deal with. The proposed government of the
democrats was one centered in local affairs (one of the most important was slavery). Jackson
therefore wanted weak central government within a permanent union. However soon came up the
issue of Nullification with South Carolinas attempt to nullify the tariff of 1828.
Social reform was underway as well with a number of institutions and social movements being
devoted to improving morals of individuals and society in general. Schools started to pop up
around the country. Public tax supported schools set up by Whigs in the north. The school systems
were centralized at the state level and made attendance mandatory. Temperance was also part of
this reform, and this was the most sustained movement in social history. The good old crusade
against the use of alcohol that began in 1820. The reason for this it was argued was that alcohol led
to violence, personal and social disintegration and was associated with being out of control. This
effort was headed up by the middle class (women mostly) that assumed poverty, crime, and every
other thing wrong with society was a result

Jacksonian America Essay
Throughout the period of 1820–1830, Jacksonian Democrats created a vastly popular political party.
They were, of course, led by Andrew Jackson, a war hero and a man of the people. Jackson's
followers who created the party were also "for the people." Such ideals were shown throughout
various times within the period. The democrats were essentially guardians of the United States
Constitution and, similarly, were protectors of individual liberties. In addition to this, the Jacksonian
Democrats promoted political democracy, and also the equality of economic opportunity. Thus, the
Jacksonian Democrats clearly served as protectors of the people, their individual liberties, their
Constitution, their economic opportunities and their political...show more content...
They set out to form a system which would rotate different people in and out of these jobs.
However, the Jacksonians wound up using the spoils system to elect members of their party. By
doing this, they had a larger influence in government and could more easily pass laws to help the
people. Jackson and his followers were always interested in the rights of the people of the United
States. Therefore, when the United States found itself within the Nullification Crisis, Jackson
responded immediately and with a just cause. While a threat of rebellion rose in South Carolina,
Jackson threatened to send down an army to quash it, before further harm was done. This proves
how dangerous nullification could be and how Jackson, a man of the people, would be against it.
The threats of South Carolina to secede over such a law threatened the Union. The Union,
effectively, was the collaboration of states and the peoples within them made the Union possible.
Thus, when a state threatened to leave the Union, and damage it, Jackson was against it.
Jacksonian's saw this as a threat to the political democracy within the United States. By breaking up
the Union it would make it more vulnerable to a take over from Europe or another foreign country.
In addition to this, by destroying the Union, the economic opportunities of citizens would also be
hindered. Jackson believed in the voice of the people, but only when it

Jacksonian Democracy Dbq Essay
Jacksonian Democrats help create a more democratic America and because of this, believed
themselves to be many things, real and fictional. In most cases they perceived themselves as
defenders of equal economic opportunity, even though they sometimes put their own interests before
those of the people. They also thought of themselves as guardians of political democracy, while at
the same time using class differences to their advantage and emotionalized speeches, lacking real
intellectual merit, to stir support. Jacksonian Democrats felt that they were the protectors of the
Constitution and of individual liberties but many times they put their rivalry with the Northeastern
industry and Whig politics before these things. While Jacksonians...show more content...
The case Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge decided that a charter given a person or group to
do a service does not allow that group to have complete rights over this service. This decision
supports the Jacksonian Democracy ideas that the rights of the community are more important than
the rights of business (H). However, it is also important to know that Taney was elected by Jackson,
and his decision, well supporting economic equality, also set a precedent for states' intervention in
commerce. The Jacksonian Democrats were very important in the revolutions in political democracy
that took place during this period. During this period universal white male suffrage took place and
was the first step towards the revolution of the common man in politics. Also, Jackson's acceptance
and support of the two–party system helped create a more democratic America in which people
with similar views could unite in their support of a singular candidate. Many "working men" of this
time period had felt they had been taken advantage of and misrepresented by tyrannical aristocrats
who treated them poorly (A). Jackson used this to his advantage with emotionalized speeches
exploiting class differences. However, it should be said that during this time period the amount of
voters increased dramatically which means that more Americans were involved in American politics
(D). Jackson's use of the "Kitchen Cabinet" kept his knowledge of critics and the wants and needs
of the people up

The Importance Of Jacksonian Democracy
Andrew Jackson, war hero, man of the people, and seventh president of the United States of America
led the Jacksonian Democrats; this political group was formed antebellum America. The democrats
tried to aggrandize the puissance of lower classes, Americans that did not have as many opportunities
unlike the aristocracy. While decreasing the clout of the rich and potent. Economically, they
achieved benefits from governing during a period where huge advances in transportation, which
ultimately accelerated commerce and helped the ordinary man. Politically, they wanted to invest
power into an overwhelmingly massive executive branch against the aristocracy class of wealth
Americans. The importance of Jacksonian democrats had represented...show more content...
As such, economic, religious, and geographic changes were all reshaped in America in many
paramount ways and hinted towards to considerable opportunities and downfalls in the future.
Jacksonian Democracy was a period in American history that formed a lasting impact that extended
well beyond the mid 1800's. The party laid out numerous economic and democratic reforms that
permitted the layman to partake in politics as well as magnify the country's patronage. In opposition
to the Democrats, the Whigs of the early 1830s strongly favored a strong federal government through
the power of the congress. They emphasized a program of modernization and economic
protectionism.
The major parties since the early 1830s in the United States were the Democratic Party, or Jacksonian
Democrats organized by Andrew Jackson, and the Whig Party, which was assembled by Henry
Clay. Both the democrats and Whigs had opposed each other throughout their reign of supremacy
during this period of the United States government. As Daniel Feller states in, The Jacksonian
Promise, both parties believed in several different things. "Whigs repelled Democratic accusations
of exclusivity and class bias in their programs. Social advance benefitted everyone, and the tools for
of success, especially education, were (or would be, if Whigs had their

During the 1820s and 1830s the Democratic Party grew under the influence of the politician Andrew
Jackson. The Democrats believed in a limited federal government and supported more power in the
states, rather than in the federal government. This party was concerned by the economic monopolies
in the East and wanted more opportunity for white males in the South and West. By the 1828
presidential election, new amendments to voting qualifications allowed more white males to vote.
With support from this new population of voters, Jackson swept the election, introducing the
Jacksonian Era that lasted until 1836. President Jackson was admired for his respect towards the
common man and his focus on fulfilling the interest of the people. During his time as president,
Jackson expanded the power of the executive branch by vetoing proposed bills that were believed to
be aiding the privileged elite and hurting the common man. Although Jacksonian Democrats viewed
themselves as the guardians of the constitution and the values it instills, they were not adamant
about protecting democracy and individual liberty. The democrats claimed that they protected
political democracy but on several occasions Jackson tested the limits of the power he had as
president. Jackson vetoed the Second National Bank in 1832 because he believed it would give the
bank excess market power, the Whigs and many other Americans did not agree with his decision. In
Document C, Daniel Webster expresses his concern of

Essay on Jacksonian Democracy
Jacksonian Democracy Jacksonian democracy was created during antebellum America. The Jackson
democrats attempted to aggrandize the puissance of lower classes poor while decreasing the
influence of the rich and potent. Economically, they benefited from governing during a time of
paramount advances in transportation, which boosted commerce and helped the common man.
Politically, they invested power into an overwhelmingly powerful executive branch. The Jacksonian
democrats portrayed themselves as saviors of the common people and ruled via a powerful executive
who attempted to destroy aristocracy in America.
However, they were atypically wealthy, supported equality between white men only, enacted
calamitous economic policies, and...show more content...
In attempt to benefit the lower, working classes, he placed the federal money in "pet" state banks.
This attempt destabilized the national currency, decreased specie in markets, and displayed
favoritism in Jacksonian policies.
Like most Jacksonian economic policies it failed, and the reduction in specie spread inflation of
which the Treasury Act of 1840 could not stop. Jacksonians tried to assist whites through economic
policies but failed.
Foreign observers viewed that in America every man is free and independent (Doc D), but there
was great division in American attitude. Disturbances and insurrections broke out across the country
by minorities (Doc E), because they were not helped by egalitarian efforts, which were focused on
white males. Jackson's hypocrisy and brutality in his Indian removal practices (after his decisive
victory at Horseshoe Bend, Alabama, March 1814) showed the non–universal principles held by the
democrats. Fearful of angering Southern voters, Jacksonians veered away from extending egalitarian
policies to slaves. Women received little betterment. Although viewed as defenders of all common
men, Jacksonian democrats shunned minorities and only assisted white men.
Andrew Jackson was the first president to fully utilize the powers of the executive branch and
establish it as an equal if not superior branch. Henry Clay viewed Jackson as dictatorial and
unconstitutional and persuaded the Congress to censure him in 1834, but

Jacksonian Democracy Essay

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Jacksonian Democracy Essay